


Sober Greetings

by Lirr



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Phase 3, family love and hate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 01:08:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3432473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lirr/pseuds/Lirr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noodle and Murdoc reunite on Plastic Beach. Some hold grudges, others are not drunk enough to fight back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sober Greetings

The first thing she did when she saw Murdoc Niccals was punch him right in the nose. A sickening crack sounded as her hardened knuckles connected to his already defective snout and she could already feel the blood swell and drip as she pulled away and allowed the taller man to collapse before her. His curses were drowned out by the gunfight outside, face tight in pain as he clutched the definitely broken nose tightly. It took him a moment before he could turn to stare up at the woman before him, and his angry, pain-ridden eyes soon melted to reveal pure guilt.

"How could you."

Noodle’s voice was tight, her lips pulled back in a grimace at the sight of him, and Murdoc couldn’t even make his signature smirk back. He was, for once, stupefied. First the stupid cyborg stabs him in the back and now the real, living, breathing Noodle, the same who had saved him from the previous struggle, decked him hard in the face. No, the whole punch-to-the-face wasn’t the thing that kept him silent on the floor. It was the attacker herself. Noodle… Noodle was alive. She wasn’t in Hell and she sure wasn’t dead, she’s alive. The thought made him feel heavy but happy, so fucking happy. The happiest Murdoc has been in awhile. The taste of copper on his tongue brought him out of his soaring thoughts, if only slightly, and he let out a harsh croak (perhaps a laugh? A sob?) at her expression. Her angry, mature, bruised, depressed expression.

"What happened to our lil’ Nood-" a foot connected with his side and he let out a pained squawk, clutching the new bruise once she pulled away. Her nose rose, eyes narrowing to mere slits,

"She grew up." Her eyes glowered down at him, the bruised one shimmering red in the setting sunlight that gleamed through the study windows. Murdoc felt a sudden thickness in his throat, a tight feeling that he has sworn to forget years ago. She was mad, nay, ballistic, he could see it in the way she held herself. So stiff and focused and heavy. She wanted him dead, but hey, so did everyone else, what would one more soul mean now? Noodle watched his face silently, noting how his smile didn’t reach his eyes and how he made no effort to stop his leaking nose, and then dropped down to a crouch, hand reaching forward to tighten around the collar of his bloodied sweater.

"How could you, Murdoc? How could you leave me like that? I called, I swear I called and not one answer…"

Her lips peeled back again as their eyes met, and while she expected the man in her grasp to lean back and chortle at her woes he instead stared back with unnatural, somber eyes. She continued her lecture with growing confusion,

"You- You burned down Kong! Our home! You burned down Kong and bought this floating trash heap and… And!" Her breath catches as she notices his sudden movement. He’s grasping for a bottle of gin on the table to their left, his face completely and utterly expressionless save for his eyes. His eyes were horrible to view, they were just… Empty. The utter form of the word. Void and glassy and possibly wetting. His finger collided with the bottle, causing it to teeter too and fro dangerously, and as she pulled him forward and away from the possible weapon with a quick motion it toppled, shattering a few inches from his hand. Both bodies jumped at the sudden crash, more so Murdoc due to the glass that dug into his hand, and after a second of strained silence (save for the cries outside) Noodle returned her gaze to the void-eyed man.

No. His eyes weren’t empty anymore. They were full of tears, gleaming in the light despite his expressionless face. Her hands loosened as she saw his own raise to shield his eyes, but her voice continued,

"You kidnapped Tooc- 2D, you created another me… You got us all involved and I can’t handle this… Murdoc…" Noodle leaned forward, collapsing onto her knees. Silence again swallowed them. Murdoc attempted to hold back his tears, furiously rubbing at his eyes whenever the water dared to spill over, and as he quietly felt every emotion he had drunkenly withheld for the past few years the body in front of him seemed to be doing the same. 

'... Sorr-'

His mind shuddered as his lips failed to form the apology. Instead of speaking he slowly, with relative caution, allowed his hands to reach towards Noodle. She flinched as his hands met her shoulders, eyes suddenly turning up to stare at his. Both sets were red, tear-ridden, and over flowing with emotion. Murdoc rested his hands on her shoulders momentarily, head tilting to the side as he managed to mutter,

"I tried, ya know, I went to Hell and back looking for you..."

A sob rattled his chest, obviously catching the normally smirking man off guard. He ran a hand through his greasy hair, trying to force a smirk that ultimately led to another sob. Murdoc shook his head slowly, left hand raising slightly to touch her bruised eye. Noodle did not wince away this time, instead she stared straight ahead, the color slowly returning to her once pale face. Tears streaked her cheeks and silent shudders rocked her shoulders.

"Noodle, I," Murdoc stammered, eyes falling to stare at his knees, "I-I'm so-"

He was once again cut off, not with another attack but instead with the sudden weight of a body pressing against his own. The hug sent both sprawling, and Murdoc winced as his head banged against the wooden, gin-soaked floor, but instead of complaining or pushing Noodle off he simply hugged her back, finally allowing his tears to fall. 

"Sorry…. ‘M so sorry…" His voice was barely noticeable, and Noodle simply dug her face deeper into his chest, crying out in a choked voice as her mind whispered,

'I don’t forgive you.

But that’s okay.

Let’s be a family again, please.

And maybe, someday, I will.'

**Author's Note:**

> \- boredom at rehearsal bore this  
> \- I love uncharacteristically soft Murdoc  
> \- Fact: Murdoc searched all over for Noodle after discovering she was alive. Apparently he went to hell (that was probably a drunken dream tho) and searched all over the sea as shown by his twitter. That makes me very happy


End file.
